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Bring On the Fireworks

Jamie Sobrato's picture
Submitted by Jamie Sobrato on Wed, 2007-07-04 17:44.

Happy Independence Day to those of us in the US! My kids have been asking me all week, "When do we get to see the fireworks?" Never mind that we saw fireworks a few days ago. They're already wanting more. So we'll drive out to the beach tonight and hope to spot San Francisco's fireworks display--if the fog cooperates.

This might make me sound like a grinch, but I don't get very excited over holidays. What I do like about them though is the way they serve as markers of time. We might not remember what we were doing on a random day five years ago or fifteen years ago, but it's not too hard to remember where we were on previous Independence Days or other holidays. They allow us to look back and remember where we've been and how far we've come.

What are you doing this 4th of July? And what is your favorite memory of holidays past?

I'm off to a parade now. I hope you're somewhere having fun with people you love.

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Fireworks!

Submitted by Sarah Mayberry on Wed, 2007-07-04 22:49.

I love fireworks so much, but we don't have many holidays we celebrate them with down here. I have to say that my most generally memorable holiday is probably Christmas Day. It's always noisy, hectic, full of too much food, too many presents, too many houses to visit. But I love spending the time with my family. And I love my nana's Christmas pudding recipe, and it's the only time of year I get to eat it since it takes so long to cook the darned thing! The most memorable single holiday I can think of is New Year 2000. Chris and I rented a hotel room in the city at the last minute and lucked out by scoring an absolute box-seat view of the massive fireworks they held on the Yarra River. They seemed to explode right in front of our hotel window, our own private display. Best of all, Chris turned to me on the stroke of midnight and told me how much he loved me. Awwwww....

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I'm with Jamie

Submitted by Samantha Hunter on Thu, 2007-07-05 15:04.

I don't get too excited over holidays, either -- I enjoy birthdays, and Thankgiving and Halloween are my favorite annual ones, but July fourth, eh, whatever, LOL. ;) We don't go to the fireworks much, it's too crowded and such a pain driving out. It is my BIL's birthday, so we usually just have a normal day off, and head over to their house for a little party, which is nice. Christmas is nice, always enjoy the day, but can be so much work and expense, and I am normally more relieved than anything that it's over.

I love the food holidays, basically, when we can all just sit down around a nice meal and visit, and Halloween for the costumes and the candy, though even that is becoming more commercialized now. We hardly get any trick or treaters because they all go to the mall, blech.

So, we usually make pizza, watch back to back Buffy's, the Halloween epis particularly, and eat white cupcakes with vanilla frosting, because I read somewhere that was a Gaelic tradition, that for each cupcake you eat a spirit will watch over you in the coming year (as it's the pagan New Year). We might do a tarot reading, and while many people leave treats for Santa, we leave the leftover cupcakes and wine for all good spirits who might happen by over night. ;)

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Hi Jamie

Submitted by Mads on Thu, 2007-07-05 08:57.
This 4th of July I'm enjoying the quiet. The boys are away, DH is out fishing and I'm relaxing with a good book as usual. The most memorable holiday for me was when my boys were old enough to enjoy Christmas. The oldest was 4 and the youngest was 2. They were fascinated with all the lights and sounds of the holiday but scared to death of Santa. The oldest son decided to teach the youngest son how to pull out all of the little mini twinkle lights that I had set all around the house. One morning we came downstairs and in the middle of the living room floor was a very large pile of mini lights. My sons thought it was just great. Needless to say, Mommy wasn't too thrilled. Have you ever had to put back a couple of hundred mini lights into those little sockets? Every Christmas brings a few more family stories to tell. Even if there weren't any funny stories to tell, I'd still love that holiday the best. My kids are grown now but, they still find something to get into every year just to drive mom crazy. I won't even begin to tell you about the 4th of July firecracker under the bed incident. I hope you had a really great 4th of July. Mads:)
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4th of July

Submitted by goddessani on Thu, 2007-07-05 17:57.
is a bittersweet holiday for me. Being raised in Europe, it's not one of "my" holidays although I've lived in the States for (mumble mumble) years now. A few years after I'd moved here, I was working at a National Park. My older brother and his best pal came to visit me on July 4. As we sat around the campfire my brother got out his flute and his friend got out his guitar and they played The Stone's Stairway to Heaven. Under the stars, it was magical. Sadly, that was the last time I ever saw him as he was killed in a car accident a few months later. When the first explosion hits on July 4, I always say a little prayer for him. It no longer hurts the way it used to and it makes me smile because he LOVED the 4th. ani
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4th--not so fun

Submitted by Debbie on Sat, 2007-07-07 20:25.
Hello and happy belated 4th of July, We had fine plans, BBQ, riding 4-wheelers, fireworks, it was all planned..... Then, I passed out and had to go to the emergency room.....now I have just been released from the hospital. Long story short, change from dry to humid climate, bronchitis, and bacterial infection = one sick gal. On sick gal who had to leave her kids with her mom and go to a hospital in a strange town while dh was back home worrying sick and being a pain-in-the-ass. I have never been admitted to the hospital, other than for scheduled operations.....I will not be forgettinh this holiday for a while. I hope the rest of you had a lot better time than I. Debbie
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Wow

Submitted by Mads on Sun, 2007-07-08 05:06.
My gosh Debbie, I hope you're ok now. What a way to celebrate a holiday. Sending Hugs your way. Mads
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Debbie, my goodness!

Submitted by Samantha Hunter on Sun, 2007-07-08 13:55.

That sounds terrible! I hope you are feeling much better.

Sam

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Enjoying holidays in your own way

Submitted by Cathie (not verified) on Mon, 2007-07-09 19:26.
Hi Jamie! Now that my two are older, "baby" just graduated HS June and daughter soon 21, its like everyone has their own plans. So there were no plans for us this year, as usual. We just stayed home and relaxed. But the weekend before, we traveled to my family's for a family picnic/graduation party. I enjoy just the family picnics together that we have when we are able to. I never did like big crowds, so I didn't like going to the carnivals and fireworks. Those mosquiotes are horrible! With not being able to hear the fireworks, the vibrations was tough for me and most of the time when the kids were younger and they wanted to go to the fireworks, we'd find some place that was small. I felt that maybe with us not being so much of wanting the crowds that we deprived them of this, but I found that even on their own now, they hate the huge crowds and prefer small gatherings. I'm that way with all holidays. I just love to share them with us as a family. I've just never been a party person, but I still feel like I've enjoyed the holidays in my own way.
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